Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask

My name is Amber Justice.  I’m a 23 year old student, and I love all things girly.  Makeup, home décor, and cooking are my favorites.  I created this blog as a place to show the world what it looks like when a normal, inexperienced, and (definitely!) not talented girl takes on home improvement projects, cooking, and DIY beauty.  There are plenty of places on the internet to see people who are incredibly good at these things (pinterest, cough cough), but my goal is to show everyone what a person with a moderate amount of time, money, and ability can accomplish.   

Last week I was at Sephora when I came across the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.  After seeing it on Pinterest and reading rave reviews, I had to have it.  As luck would have it, the sample size was a free gift with purchase! SCORE! I couldn’t wait to try it.  The directions recommend steaming your face to open up your pores before application, but I settled for a steaming hot detox bath.  Worked like a charm (:  It applied easily and didn’t take very much product to cover my face completely.  However, I wasn’t prepared for the burn.  For about the first 2 minutes it was on my face, it burned like hell.  I came really close to just rinsing it off, but then the burning quickly subsided and was replaced with a really nice cooling sensation. I left it on well after it dried, for about an hour. The directions only recommend about 20 minutes, but hey, I was catching up on Teen Mom and painting my nails!  It felt a little tight after drying but not uncomfortable, and some of the tightness remained after rinsing it off (added bonus!).  I was astonished after washing my face.  My skin hasn’t been that soft in a long time!  I had two dime sized patches of dry skin on my cheeks (gross I know) that my moisturizer alone wasn’t able to tackle, and they had completely disappeared.  And the most exciting part…my blackheads were almost completely gone!  The only other time I have seen my face so clear was after a professional facial. 

A few days later my blackheads returned, which could be attributed to the fact that I’m just really prone to getting them.  My skin did stay baby soft though, and since I used the mask I have not had any more dry spots. This mask is also a great deal, the 1 oz. sample tube has lasted me 3 uses already and has at least 2-3 more uses left in it.  The 3.4 oz. tube (which would probably last for several months of regular use) sells for $23 on Sephora.com.  So, not only is it by far the best at home mask I have ever tried, it is also a great value.  And as an added bonus, it’s made by Origins which doesn’t use any nasty chemicals or GMOs in their products.

Here's my overall review:

Total Score	A-
Ease of Use	10
Price	7
Health	10
Effectiveness	9
Results	9

There you have it! My first trial and error review! If there’s anything you would recommend I try, or anything you have been wanting to try but are skeptical about, just let me know and I’ll be happy to blog about it. 

Cheers!